Beautifully Persistent
by Beckon
Summary: Because, despite his behavior towards her recently, she was giving him something that no other could offer.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been in this consistent Stefan/Sigrun stage for awhile now, so I've been entertaining myself by jotting down a few drabbles here or there. This idea has actually been around for awhile now but I can't necessarily say I'm certain it's going to go anywhere. At least, not soon anyways. **

Her letters came and went with every passing week.

There wasn't a day that went by where some form of a messenger was dropping by to hand off another blank envelope to him. She had signed them the first few months but after awhile those signatures disappeared; he still knew she was the one behind them though- she was the only one who sent off letters this far into the desert.

He never replied them though.

After awhile, he stopped reading them all together.

This separation between them was needed; he wanted to further that severance till any notion of them from before was gone. It was safer this way. He had worked hard to convince himself of that and it seemed as though he was finally coming to terms with it.

It seemed impossible to do at first but as more and more things were needed to do around the desert colony, he found himself too busy to even think back on it. As leader of the new colony, he was expected to take care of the people and the land; expected to tend to any problem or crisis that had trespassed onto their territory. He had prepared himself for that kind of responsibility and found himself enjoying it more and more. It felt like he was finally good for something other than fighting and killing.

For once, it felt like he actually had a purpose.

He was busy making a home for people like him; those who had been battered and abused by the actions of both wars; those who had been rejected by society and couldn't find a standing in this fast-paced world. If he could just… give them a home to go to, then he had done his job; he had completed that mission. And if there was nothing more he could do then he would be satisfied with that alone.

"Stefan, there's a visitor here to see you; it's Queen Nailah of the White Wolves."

He pulled himself away from the desk and papers in front of him and towards the red-haired man who just barely stopped in the doorway. A brief nod dismissed the man onward as he turned away from the work and started across the small office to greet the woman. She had dropped by once or twice during their set up and had offered help when they needed it; her Wolf-tailed people seemed gracious to help when it was asked of them and carried on with the charity duties with little remarks. He assumed their long years of isolation had made them rather depleted of the any kind of judgment towards the Branded; it was refreshing to witness but he imagined that things would've been different otherwise.

Stepping out of the small building that had served as some kind of office site for now, he nodded briefly towards the Laguz Queen and headed rather quickly towards her; she was not a woman to waste time and would bitterly remark of such when it occurred. She also had a distaste for conversations which made him wonder why she was here in the first place. Come to think of it, it appeared as though her White Heron shadow was not with her… even more so odd; the two were inseparable at all times of the day and night. Fingertips brushed aside his hanging green strands and pushed them from his face as he moved to approach the woman. "Queen Nailah, I am honored by your presence here. Is there something I can assist you with?"

The stern, scar-covered woman turned back towards him as her massive tail flickered now and again across the hot sun. It would almost seem as though her leather sandals would provide little protection from the scorching sand but he supposed that assumption would be wrong. Her gray-silver strands curled down in bouncy locks that were tossed around her rather broad shoulders; layered patches fell down to cover the mark of her right eye and seemingly hide it and its story from public viewing. Her facial muscles were relaxed and yet she showed nothing more than that every present tension of a stoic look- sometimes it was frightening to think about how she would look without it. Without words, she held up a small envelope with three fingers and planted it almost painfully against his chest. "Your woman continues to send words and yet she gets no replies."

"She is… beautifully persistent." he started as he cautiously took the letter in hand only to keep it from falling to the sand below. "Why did she send you this?"

"Because I would reply in one way or another." Nailah answered. "But I am not the one to be questioned here. You are."

Part of him wanted to open it and the other wanted to crumble it in hand. Not because of her persistence but for his own stupidity… when asked out loud, it seemed as though he had no reason to toss aside her letters. It was for his own selfish reasons because he had blindsided himself with this colony. But it had to be done, right? He had to… help these people first and himself last. "It is a long and complicated answer that I am not prepared to give to you right now."

The Wolf did not seem the least bit entertained by the remark and narrowed her eye briefly. "If you wish for this new kingdom of yours to rise, then you will need her; she is giving you something that is far more valuable than anything this desert can offer you."

"And what is that exactly?"

"She is giving you a son."


	2. Chapter 2

Her words were enough to still the slow beating of the heart nestled deeply in his chest, cuddled up next to his ribs. The woman was not one to be messed with and refused to say anything other than the cold, brute truth… which knocked out all the possibilities that she was merely joking with him. But if it was delivered by Queen Nailah from Commander Sigrun herself then… then there was no other say in the matter.

But a son…?

"… How long have you been receiving her letters?"

The woman's ears seemed to twist forward for a minute before they pinned back; almost disappearing in her thick mess of gray curls. "A few months. It took her quite some time before she sent the first letter to me but when I replied in a suitable manner, she seemed to warm up. It appears as though the entire castle of Begnion is awaiting the new arrival."

The Commander was practically a milk-mother to Apostle Sanaki herself and her right-hand woman was none other than Officer Tanith- a woman who's anger could pose as a suitable match for a bold-faced Lion; she was the Commander of the Royal Knights, she was an armed and skilled Pegasus Rider and it would seem as though the only other person to best her in the skies were the Bird Laguzs. She didn't like drawing attention to herself or putting herself above the others, she earned her respect and the people were all the more willing to give it to her.

The castle of Begnion had no other choice than to be accepting of her given condition.

And yet he had gone so far as to disrespect her for all these passing months when the people of Begnion, complete strangers were sending her gifts? What kind of person did that make him? The lingering question faltered his once strong sense of righteousness and began to degrade everything he had tried desperately to accomplish up until now.

"When I expressed the feeling that you weren't strong enough to fill the position of being a father, she readily defended you." Nailah continued. "She spoke that perhaps it had been terrible timing at most; she knew how important this colony was to you and that she understood your standing on it. Are you even listening?"

At that point, the Queen's words, as true as they were, ran right past him.

All he could do was linger on the overall matter.

Eventually, he pulled his eyes closed and waited for the consistent ringing throughout his body to cease; hoping that the silence afterwards would hold some kind of answer for him. He was a swift and calculated fighter; he was an expert at the blade and had drawn the blood of war again and again on the silver metal; he had faced walls of golden armor and enemies twice his size, he could still recall the heat of dragon's breath on the back of his neck as he prayed to whatever Goddess remained to at least save his skin for that mere inch. There had been moments where he had experienced the sheering intensity of pain, the injuries he put forth on the enemy had been reflecting back on his own body again and again. His long-sleeved, draping clothes hid the bloodied scars so easily from the merciless strikes that threatened the healer's hands with crimson stains.

So why was he so weak now?

Why was this the worst injury he had ever encountered? The broken limbs, split flesh and ruptured organs couldn't compare to this dull, aching pain that filled the beating crevice in his chest. His entire body felt numb as though his blood was turning into gelatin and clotting throughout his veins.

Because he inflicted this matter on himself…

What would've been a gracious and happy period for any other couple was exactly the opposite now.

"Can I ask a favor of you, Queen Nailah?"

"I don't have any names that you might give to your heir if that's your favor." she remarked.

It would've almost seemed humorous of her to say such a comment but he could hear the different thoughts in her tone and pick up on the almost cynical snip in the words. "I need you to keep an eye on my people here during my absence."

Her eyes seemed to be accepting of the favor and she nodded lightly. "I'll be busy taking care of Rafiel tonight but Volug is readily available to keep your colony here well protected; I know having a dog standing in your place doesn't seem like much of a promise but he will keep his claws sharp under the sun and moon of Hatari. I'll be able to take your place by dawn tomorrow."

"Thank you." he nodded before he took a careful step back. "I'll need to inform my assistants of a change of plans but… they'll be sure to keep Volug welcomed and taken care of."

"The Begnion castle is not far if you wish to leave at this very instant."

"That was the reason for why I asked for your favor now."

* * *

><p>The was no gracious turn for weather between the scorching heat of the Grann desert to the cooling breeze of Begnion. Was winter setting in already? How many months had passed on without his notice? Then again, in the blazing heat of the desert it was difficult to find the difference in the passing days; each one seemed to merge effortlessly together. Not to mention the seasons weren't entirely separated either and each one felt like the others.<p>

And yet Begnion had the royalty of seeing snow and experiencing the cooling breeze on a summer's afternoon. The people were bundled in light coats and scarves as they hurried along the early morning streets; avoiding the small traffic of carriages pulling on by. He never liked the 'city' life of carriages and rushing people, there was too much unwanted contact. But, then again, that was what she always enjoyed about the Begnion capital; she loved the crowds and the decorations of the seasons that stores placed out on their door fronts. This was where she belonged… but this wasn't a place for him.

He carried himself as quickly as he could through the streets, trying not to seem suspicious with the fast steps; he was working off memory of the city's layout as he headed towards the massive castle that resided in the distance. It had taken him all night to get here, he was certain he looked like hell and was in no appropriate condition to just waltz right inside… but he could try. Dodging alongside the shuffling residents, he rushed past the opening store fronts and ignored the small fruit stands that were just now uncovering their fresh produce. There was no time to ponder over whether or not the fruit was picked fresh or if it held the same consistency and taste of the ones the desert produced.

It felt like he was trying to race the wind as he carted himself up the castle stairs but he paused at the sight of a set of guards standing at the front doors. How was he exactly supposed to get past them? The Apostle wasn't expecting anyone from the Grann desert so his visit was unannounced and… the Begnion guards did not like nonscheduled guests. The last time he had dropped by on a called visit, he had witnessed a few of them roughing up someone who claimed to be there on business but had not been acknowledged by the Apostle. In all honesty, he probably could've taken a few of them on but… his focus wasn't working with him at this point and he hadn't sharpened his blade in a few days.

"Stand down, men… Sir Stefan is here with acknowledged reason."

The secondary voice seemed to come from nowhere and yet… it was all the more recognizable to him.


	3. Chapter 3

The sight of the dark-brown haired, Second-in-Command almost made him wish to speak with the guards instead. Her stern, tense looking demeanor was enough to cause the guards to slowly step away from where they had barely left their post. The faint sun of Begnion still managed to reflect itself brilliantly off her decorative armor and, while she carried no weapon with her, she was still posed to fight; there was a sense of both respect and fear in her unmoving stance. It was always said that while Commander Sigrun was the leading grace of the Royal Knights, Officer Tanith was the strong arm who put more fear into her troops than any enemy force could. In the end, that seemed like a plausible war tactic though. There would be more fear in failing her expectations than being killed or captured out on the battlefield.

Perhaps it was just an odd, messed up coincidence that they happened to be running into each other at this very given moment, at this very spot. It was an odd feeling how it almost seemed as though the woman had been waiting and anticipating his arrival.

It was like a cold liquid was spreading throughout his body as she merely motioned for him to follow her and said nothing else; she carried herself up the rest of the staircase and passed by the guards with ease. He didn't have any other choice and moved to be the shadow of her steps.

The inside of the Begnion palace was magnificent and beyond any sense of words to describe it. He always found himself mesmerized by the large volume of handcrafted decorations that had served on years far before his time. It was almost as if it was carved by the hands of the Goddess herself and made for Begnion and Begnion only.

But now… the decorations were empty to him; he wasn't here to stare and figure out what the meaning of the cryptic portraits on the walls meant. There was a matter that was far more important than diplomatic reasoning.

"To be honest, I'm surprised to even see you at this given moment."

The snap of the woman's words was of no surprise to him and he had long since braced himself for them. It was only a matter of time before the woman would erupt… and he prayed that he could at least get in a few words before then. "I wish there was something I could tell you, something that I could properly engage you with… but you're not the person I was hoping to speak with right now."

Perhaps his words had left him too quickly or came off on the wrong tone.

He wasn't expecting to already be face to face with the woman but she had snapped back around to him before he could even explain himself further. He had to tread lightly… he had already pressed her nerves and things could go so easily downhill from here.

Her lips pressed tightly together as though she was artfully attempting to hold her tongue; as though she was trying to keep a promise to someone to keep her words graceful and Begnion-like. "Sir Stefan… there are many things I wish I could say to you right now and I'm sure at some point, you will wish to complete that verbal transaction. But I have stood in your position for far too long to just let you have it back so easily; do you think just waltzing back in here is going to grant you some kind of amnesty? Do you think Begnion really wishes to see the true face of the given father right now? What exactly-"

"Lady Tanith, if you will please… stand down and let me handle this."

Another voice stirred the empty mixture inside of his chest as he slowly pulled his eyes away from the Second-in-Command, who was turning back at the voice just the same.

"I am really in no condition to break up a conflict right now. If you will grant me this one moment of easy departure, I will ensure to make up on the lost time."

Her tone was almost uncharacteristic of a leader; it maintained that soft and sweet melodic message that was in all truths sincere and respectful. One could not get the woman riled up or even dirty talk the opposing forces with harsh slurs and lingering hate. It seemed as though this was the same tone that slightly irritated her Second in Command, who took rightfully to her words and moved to separate herself from him.

"You forgive too easily." Tanith whispered as she slowly moved past the Commander; suddenly finding herself 'busy' with tasks to do on the other side of the palace.

"And you are angry too often."

Her slender form had always been dressed in her tunic and stockings; decked out in her fitting armor that was cut in the right places to utilize her need for speed and quick movements. But now… now her changing form was layered in a floor-length gown that seemed to try and mimic the same color of her hair; the soft, silver and green like hues of the material almost seemed to compliment her radiant skin that glowed from beneath the fabric. The gown was loose around her shoulders and fell in flowing layers around her elbows, somewhat draping down to touch at her fingertips and bare just a few inches of her forearm. It bundled lightly around the greater curve of her stomach as it rounded outward into a growing shape.

She had her long strands pulled back behind her, but even styled as such he could tell that the locks were more plentiful and much longer than when they had last encountered one another. There was no denying that her pregnancy was doing wonders for her beauty as it highlighted her flawless skin and already treasured locks that had once been so fun to run fingers through.

The presence of her graceful lips lifting into a soft toned smile was enough to melt every function in his body as he found himself completely speechless in front of her. Of everything that he could've- should've said and told her… there was nothing; it was as if someone had split the tip of his tongue and he was merely choking back on the words as if they were blood.

"Before we say anything to each other, before we exchange any kind of words… I want to set something straight." she started.

Anything.

"I don't want you to say anything about those letters, I don't want you to acknowledge any kind of doubt or ill-reasoning about this whole matter… I just want you to stand at my side again; I want to share this matter of happiness with you."


	4. Chapter 4

It was a bold request, one he wasn't even sure if he could keep at this moment in time. There was still the difficulty in trying to even find his voice or proper usage of words for the matter. But she had placed her deal right out front and done so bluntly to make her points clear; even in a situation as such, she held to her high sense of fairness and wanted nothing that was outside of her own reach. It didn't seem fair though; there was much to discuss and just by cutting it off before it started… it felt like it would only cause things to rot inside and fester like an untreated wound.

"As much as I'd like to take you up on that offer, Commander Sigrun… I can't let this just get swept underneath the rug." he started; unsure of where his voice even came from but surprised that it didn't sound as weak and brittle as he felt.

There might've been a light downturn at the corner of her lips but she pressed the matter aside; her eyes expressed her own resistance to discussing the topic as well. "Sir Stefan, I understand your reasoning for wishing to discuss this matter but… I don't believe now would be the best time to carry on with that conversation."

"I… I apologize, Commander but if anything, now would be the best time to exchange words." he responded. "Every possible chance you gave me to be a part of this, every letter you sent to me, I threw it out. I didn't even open the last half of them because… I don't even know why, I don't even think I had a valid reason to."

"You're not the only one to pass up a valid chance." she replied; her fingers pulling themselves together at her side. Her demeanor was withheld and she had that look of a Commander who was ready to go off to battle. "Do you remember that conference we held a few months before? We had all the leaders in the courtyard and we were enjoying the afternoon air; we were hoping to hear Prince Rafiel sing but he had to care for his father that evening, so we tried to get Lady Micaiah and Sir Ike to do a duet instead."

He remembered that evening well. It felt like it was one of the first times he had actually been accepted even for what he was. That people actually took his growing colony seriously and were willing to… make amends even though there was still a heavy onslaught of tension between him and everyone else; that might've just been a cause from him though, he wasn't sure if he could open himself up to anyone. Even now, he had no trouble getting along with people but trusting them or even wanting further contact with them was a difficult concept to grasp. She was one of very few people he had managed to overcome that difficulty with.

"Yes, I remember that the guards had set out a special type of spring lilac without knowing that Prince Skrimir would have a sneezing fit over them." he nodded. "… You were dressed in your full uniform, armor and everything, but you had a small bundle of flowers tucked into your hair and Lady Tanith told you that it looked ridiculous."

A light chuckle escaped her for a moment; breaking her solid demeanor. "But I managed to convince her to wear a rose corsage instead, even though she spent most of her evening trying to wrestle it off. I remember trying to use the excuse that it was a new dress code for our spring uniform, but it did not pass off as well as I had hoped for; although I should've known better than to think that Lady Tanith would fall for such a thing."

It was also the last time that they had physically been around one another before he disappeared off into the desert wasteland. He kept that image of her in his head for the passing months that drifted between them. "But what does this have to do with our previous conversation?"

"Because I was two months carrying at that time." she answered calmly. "I could've easily pulled you aside if I wanted to and… avoid this agenda that we're dealing with right now. But I didn't. I let my nerve escape me at the last moment and chose to keep this ordeal to myself. It wasn't until after you left that I realized that mistake."

Perhaps the short confession should not have left a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach or made him suddenly weak in the knees, but it did.

By the sheer grace of the Goddess, it did.

For a moment, there was the startling cold chill rushing through his body again; acting like it was made to be a part of him permanently. Despite the shock of... everything, how the time span of a few hours could change so much, how an exchange of words could reveal weaknesses from both sides, how both parties felt like they were at fault... despite all of it, his attention continued to be pulled to the gracious curve of her stomach; taking in the way she was obviously carrying like wealth in the family way. Things had started off so wonderfully, for once he had met someone he could drop his guard around, and then separation knocked them both down to a seemingly incurable position; even with their greater struggles, it seemed near impossible to get back on their feet.

How were they supposed to do this? She was a Commander and he... he was a Leader at most. And this... this was a child they were bringing into this world; a world neither of them could seemingly agree on.


	5. Chapter 5

It was difficult to see him like this.

It was difficult to realize that she had inflicted this kind of pain and torment on him. It wasn't intentional, the last thing she wanted to was hurt him- no, she never wanted to do that even if it was the last thing to do. All she wanted… all she wanted was for him to be at her side, to hold her hand, to run his fingers through her hair again. She wanted to feel the touch of his skin; she wanted to re-enact the way her body used to fall into the contours of his own. Was she being too greedy? Was it all unreasonable?

To her, it all just seemed so simplistic and easy… had her perspective on this whole situation failed her in the end?

It was the slightly vacant expression on his face that had her worried most; of course, it was dropped to second place the moment she watched him seemingly collapse to his knees. Her fingers quickly gathered a small bundle of her dress in one hand as she hurried over to where he was knelt down. This had to be one of the few moments where she hated her condition because it restricted her movement and no longer allowed her to safely kneel down at his side. "Oh! Sir Stefan, are you alright?"

One hand moved to cover part of his face and for a moment it appeared as though something else was wrong with him. Slowly, he push his fingers through his hair and held it back for a few brief seconds in thought before he allowed for the strands to fall back into place. "… Why do you keep referring to me as 'Sir?'"

She supposed the question was better than what she was expecting, at least she had an answer for it. "Why do you keep referring to me as 'Commander?'"

"Because…" when his voice drifted slightly she took it that that was supposed to be his answer.

"Exactly."

A brief sigh escaped him as he tried to recollect himself. His body felt heavy and it sounded like his heart was pounding in his ears; his blood felt cold and the pit of his stomach acted like it was twisted in some way. The last time he had a feeling that even remotely felt like this… was during the final battles just before the Goddess herself; there were so many times where death was right around the corner. In one battle alone, he took a silver lance straight through the side while an axe struck him in the back moments later. He was lucky to get out alive with Zihark's help but… there was that same feeling. But being out on the battlefield, half-crippled and half depending on someone else's strength to keep you moving was far different from kneeling in front of her. He supposed the connection was more of an internal struggle than anything else.

"Can we start over?" she questioned softly.

He wanted to. There was nothing he wanted more than to just drop this whole case and pick up where they were right now; to just act like nothing was wrong in the first place. It was a wonder to think if she could just sweep everything underneath the rug so easily... then maybe he should too. Perhaps it was a matter to take up at another time. A brief chuckle escaped him as he considered her question. "That's a long distance to start over, I mean, we'd have to go all the way back to the desert with Senator Lekain's battle before he abruptly left us."

"That is quite a distance to take back, isn't it? Although, if memory serves me well... we did meet in a situation similar to this." she replied with her own soft chuckle. "Except you had a cut on your face from my lance when you snuck up on me."

"Only because your Pegasus nearly trampled me." he defended as fingertips moved to brush the spot on his face where the sharpened end of her lance had split his skin wide open. There was just a small knot of scar tissue left behind from the wound, it was enough to be a constant reminder of how quick her reflexes were, as well as how much power she could put behind a single strike. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet as he regained a stable sense of feeling back throughout his body. As much as he didn't wish to simply start over, perhaps it was the best thing to do at this point. She greeted him with that simple, radiating smile that had once melted his defense down to nothing. "... You look beautiful."

"I'm just having a good day, don't let it fool you." she chuckled lightly as fingertips pushed aside a few straying strands of hair and tucked them behind one ear. "There are many of many days where I was not so lucky but it would not be ladylike to list those out for you. Now, let me apologize for Lady Tanith's behavior earlier, she was only trying to scare you; she's become abrasively defensive in these last few days and I fear some of my hormones might have rubbed off on her."

"That is terrifying."

"I was feeling the same way." she nodded before her hands reached forward and lightly took a hold of his own. "Now then, there are some people here that I want you to meet."


	6. Chapter 6

For multiple reasons, he didn't think he'd feel the weight of her arm lightly linked around his own again; the light pull as she lead him further down the corridor to whatever destination she had in mind. She was smiling to herself, an expression he shared just the same, with one hand keeping hold on a small bundle of material from her dress; she held it carefully so not to step on it while she was walking.

"Who exactly are you wanting me to meet?" he questioned as he followed her lead and the light tugs she gave on his arm. He listened to a light chuckle that escaped her as she seemed more interested in getting there than explaining it to him. Not sure if it was a good sign or not, he figured it wouldn't hurt to merely go along with her. It had to be someone important though.

Oh Goddess, what if it was the Apostle?

What would he say?

More importantly, what was he supposed to say to anyone just simply here?

"Do not worry yourself about it." she assured as she took the last turn before the adjoining corridor ended in a single door. "In fact, it might not be all as important for you to meet these people but... well, I've talked so much about you, they became eager to meet you at the first given chance. I figured after all their help, this is the least I could do."

"But who are they?"

She teased him with a light shrug of her slender shoulders before she reached forward with her fingertips and pushed aside the door in front of them. On the other side of the door was a large day room that expanded out in front of them, and while it might've seem foreign to him, it was all too familiar to her. Another light smile caught the corners of her lips as she peeked in and spotted the small group of women sitting in the far half of the room; she knew there were four of them, all sitting around in a circle as they knitted quietly to themselves. "Madam Esbern, I have someone here I want you to meet."

A gray-haired woman slowly set aside her needlework and glanced over one shoulder at the voice. "Oh, Lady Sigrun, we weren't expecting you this early today." with a soft push, the woman got to her feet and let her half-knitted work fall into the four-legged cushion; black slippers shuffled across the polished floors as weary hands pushed the wrinkles from her tan apron. Sky-blush eyes peered through a small pair of glasses as she somewhat squinted to get a look at the extra figure who was brought in. "Ah, I see you brought us a visitor as well. Who is it this time that you want us to meet?"

"Who is Madam Esbern?" he whispered; ducking slightly as he tried to question her in private.

"She is my midwife." she answered, sparing him the long wait for a response. "The other women are Lady Eniko and Lady Rebecca, who are Madam Esbern's daughters; there's also Lady Justine, who is Madam Esbern's niece. The three of them are interested in following her steps as a midwife and are here for some on-hand experiences. I saw no reason to turn them down and figured it would be lovely to have a small group of women to speak with when Lady Tanith doesn't wish to give me the time of day." her last few words were spoken with a light laugh as though she fully understood the other Commander's reasoning for such but had still hoped for more. She pulled on his arm once more as she lead him further into the room; putting him in full view to the other woman. "Madam Esbern, Ladies, this is Sir Stefan. I'm sure you remember me talking about him-"

"So this is the lovely Gentleman we've heard so much about." the midwife interrupted as she took a few steps closer to get a better look.

It was probably at this point he should've mentioned to her how uncomfortable he suddenly felt with the three other women getting up to come have a look see as well. But it would look terrible if he suddenly dashed out of the room, wouldn't it? The best he could do right now was offer a brief smile to simulate some kind of... greeting.

"Did he finally come back from that diplomatic mission you said he was on? Did he fight anyone?"

Diplomatic mission? He looked over towards the green-haired woman and watched as she pressed a quick finger against her lips, trying not to laugh herself. It was a matter he'd have to take up with her later.

"Yes, it was a very _long_ and _difficult_ journey but he's managed to make it back in one piece." Sigrun started as she turned back to the other four. "And just in time, might I add. Isn't he as handsome as I told you he would be?"

"Oh yes, very handsome and very fitting for a Commander such as yourself." Justine agreed with a light giggle. "How did you two meet again?"

"Come, come, Lady Justine, I've told the same story hundreds of times, how have you not gotten bored of it already?" she teased, slightly tightening her grip on his arm for a moment. "We met on the war front going against the Golden Army; we were traveling through the Grann Desert and were following close on former Senator Lekain's forces before they managed to ambush us. Commander Tanith and myself were protecting both Apostle Sanaki and Lady Micaiah while the rest of our forces were taking care of our Golden counterparts. We prided ourselves on the solid job we were doing before more of the Golden soldiers ambushed us separately..." a light smile played on her lips just before she continued on with her next part. "We more than likely would not have come out of that battle as strongly as we did had Sir Stefan here not arrived when he did. I suppose you could say things carried on from there and... lead us to this point in time."

"How romantic." Rebecca cooed as her hands went to cup her own jawline; a whimsical, dreamy expression overtaking her young features.

"It appears as though Lady Sigrun here has failed to tell you that when I did arrive on the scene, the first thing she did was run her lance across my face." he added with a brief sense of humor; feeling the slight brush of her elbow as it dug into his side. "I suppose I cannot blame you for the act, but there is a small, minor scar in its place."

"Commander Sigrun!"

She could barely contain her own laughter as the other women whipped around to her for a response; she briefly buried her face into the soft sleeve of his arm before she nodded lightly. "I was focused on protecting Apostle Sanaki and Lady Micaiah, I did not see the line between enemy and ally correctly when he showed up. While there are regrets for it now, when it did occur at the given time, I was more thankful for my quick reflexes; what if he hadn't been an ally?"

"But he's so handsome, how could you turn a lance against him?" Eniko teased.

"The important matter is not in the past, but in the present." Madam Esbern spoke as she tried to hush her giggling daughters and niece. "I believe you two will serve each other well, Commander Sigrun and Sir Stefan; you should cherish this time you have together now, because in a few days you will have to share this time with another."


	7. Chapter 7

They bid a farewell to the group of women who insisted on a few more minutes of speaking, although he was almost certain they just wanted the time for a closer look or two. Or maybe he was just being egotistic. Either or were highly possible. She just made a remark that she was feeling a little tired now and felt the need to go lie down for a bit, an option that Madam Esbern quickly agreed to. Apparently she had been pacing about all day and had refused to rest beforehand, and while the midwife said the unrest would affect the unborn child, the Commander insisted the unrest was because of the child.

"I don't feel as though I should out fully complain about every little movement and such, it doesn't seem like something a Commander should do." Sigrun started as she pushed open the double doors that lead into her room. She had always thought it was rather extravagant for her taste and the fact that the room itself was nearly the size of half a wing was another thing as well. But the Holy Commanders were always treated like royalty and she had seen a few more perks for it ever since the Begnion Senators left- or rather, were forcibly removed. She had always held a mild dislike for it but it seemed to be slowly playing along in her favor now. Half of it remained as her bedroom, with some mild sets of furniture while the other half was in the process of becoming a nursery. She had most of the pieces already set up and put in place but there were a few small items that she had yet to unpack or had yet to arrive. "But if I get kicked in the spine once more I do believe my walking days will be over."

A light chuckle escaped him at her remark as he watched her move a hand to press against her back. "There was a woman in our settlement a few months back who was carrying and she was always making a remark about how she woke up every morning with a bruised kidney."

"Well I certainly understand her predicament." she nodded; watching as he seemed to take interest in the smaller pieces of furniture. She would give him some time to mingle with her chosen selection for the nursery while she preferred to give herself some time to sit down for a moment; her sore ankles had been crying for quite some time. Fingers reached out and skimmed against the arm of the closest chair before she slowly lowered herself into the open seat. A quiet sigh of relief escaped her as she felt the extra weight shift off from the base of her spine... of course it moved over to rest on her pelvis now. Hands knitted themselves over her gracious stomach and the lack of movement from underneath hinted that the child was napping at the given moment, which meant she'd probably be up half the night then.

He touched at the dark wood that been cut, molded and smoothed out by the easy hand of a master carpenter; it had been sculpted and pieced together with careful expertise to provide a top of the line crib bed. A light-blue blanket was neatly folded at the foot of the crib while a silver material was draped over the wooden edges. It was clear that she had taken her own time out to handpick the smallest accessories while a few trinkets of toys were piled on top of a smaller dresser close by; the toys were no doubt presents from the other guards or from the townspeople themselves. He would guess that the small pile of other folded blankets were a gift from Commander Tanith herself... although it was hard to believe, to be quiet honest. His eyes moved to where a decorative gown was hung up from the top of a full-length mirror. The material seemed to almost resemble silk while the white shades were beautifully crossed with decorative pieces of gold; it seemed like something fit for a Goddess. A separate gold sash was hung up next to it to complete the wordless uniform.

"It was a gift Queen Nailah sent to me."

Of course... he thought the design of it looked similar to something Prince Rafiel wore. A light chuckle escaped him as he resisted the urge to touch the gown and instead stepped away. "It seems like something suiting to represent her people. Queen Nailah can be a difficult case sometimes, she shows inspiration to interact with others and yet her own personality refuses to linger around all too long. She can seem intimidating at all times and yet you wouldn't want anyone else on your side... Goddess pray, I'm still thankful that she considers my kind an ally."

"She is an intelligent leader, she wouldn't make a wrong decision." she remarked. "I'm still impressed that she answered my first letter."

"I have no doubts that Prince Rafiel might've had a hand or two in on the matter." he nodded before he walked the distance over to where she was sitting. "Now then, while we have the time, do tell me all about this 'diplomatic mission I was supposingly on."

A light chuckle escaped her for a moment as she watched him kneel slightly in front of her. "Uh well, it was easier to tell them that you were off on a 'mission' trying to solve a few issues with your own people than what was really happening. I mean, I didn't stray all too far from the truth, right? I didn't really know what you were doing asides from the last few meetings we were in together... so I just pieced a story to work and so far it's been believable. I mean, tell me if I'm wrong."

"Well, sadly enough, you're mostly right."

"Oh... that's good then, I wouldn't want to make a liar of myself in front of Madam Esbern."

The sound of a brief knock at the doors was barely timed before the two structures were pushed aside; revealing a tall, dark-haired man dressed in black armor. He was holding a mid-sized crate in both arms as he seemed to try and find a way to navigate the room and find a place to set it down; somehow able to completely miss them. Despite his taller stance and semi-muscular fit, he set the package down with ease and when his arm knocked over one of the trinkets that had been stacked close by, he made sure to put it back in its proper place. It was only in that slight turn to leave when he stopped; revealing the dark patch that covered his right eye.

"My apologies, Lady Tanith informed me that this room would be empty-"

"Oh, it's quite alright, Sir-"

"Sir Haar, I do hope you remember where I told you to place that and that you did so carefully." Tanith intruded as she pushed her way through the doors; pausing momentarily as she look at the man merely just standing around. "Well? Does it look like this court is paying you to look moronic?"

"Tanith, please, will you show Sir Haar a little more respect?" Sigrun requested.

The brown-haired woman seemed surprised at the voice and slowly looked over to where the two were situated. The slight downturn at the corner of her lips deepened even more before she turned back to the other man. "Sir Haar, I suppose it appears as though we are intruding on something, hopefully it's not something important."

"And what if it is?" he questioned her just the same, with an almost lethargic tone.

She frowned once more, as though she hated to be questioned, before she turned back to them. "Sir Stefan, are you proposing to Commander Sigrun?"

It felt like every small breath was knocked clean out of his lungs at the question; leaving him mostly speechless and partly stumbling just the same. "Uh... no, no I am not, Lady Tanith; we were just speaking, that's all."

"Now that we have that cleared up, you can stop wasting my time, Sir Haar."


	8. Chapter 8

He had to step outside for a brief take of fresh air after the slight ordeal. It was probably one of the first times he had a solid moment to himself ever since this whole situation came into light... it felt like he had a lot to talk to himself about.

The sun was shining at about mid-day now, proving just how different it felt with how much had happened in such a short amount of time from this morning. It almost felt like a surreal dream that he was going to wake up from and... not know whether to be disappointed or not. A quiet sign escaped him as he moved to pinch the empty space between his eyes and lean most of his weight against the iron railing in front of him. He had just picked the closest balcony to step out onto and was relieved to see that it mostly faced the empty courtyard out front; giving him a little bit more privacy and more freedom to think out loud. It was all just so... different.

What was it that the midwife had said before they left earlier? Just a few days left... just a few days before their mixed little offspring would be brought into this world. Well, the Commander certainly looked like she could pop at any moment so maybe a few days seemed a little gracious to say. She just looked so beautiful... it was difficult to imagine what the child was going to look like. Part of him hoped that the child resembled more of her, but that wasn't to say that their features were all too different. They both had green hair, although hers appeared more neutral green, almost blue even, or was it aquamarine that he was thinking of? While his hair was darker yet bolder when it came to a specific color. They both shared blue eyes although hers were a little brighter and contained a series of different hues while his was just simple blue, nothing special. He guessed the child was destined to look just like them... but how far were similarities going to go?

Would there be a nasty mark sprawled across his skin too? Or would that be saved for later generations down the road, just like his had been?

"So, you're Stefan... I knew I recognized the name, but I have troubles putting names to faces."

The second voice caught him off-guard for a moment as he looked around to find the source of it; watching as the darkly-colored armored man from before slowly made his way out onto the balcony. In his haste to get somewhere of solitude, he had failed to take notice of the black-scaled Wyvern sitting in the far corner just underneath the shade; his thick hide was strapped with a few boxes that were dangling from the slightly worn-down, leather saddle.

He supposed the eye patch should've been the first clue, but Lady Tanith had been gracious enough to let on to the man's name regardless.

"I blame it on my terrible eyesight."

"Well, the fact that you remembered my name alone is surprising enough." Stefan started; he had maybe caught glimpses of the Wyvern Rider a few times during the ending half of the Goddess battle and even from the Mad King's War those years before that. They were never really on the same team, so to say, but he always heard stories and he supposed names were exchanged here and again. "I can't say that I would've guessed yours had Lady Tanith not said it beforehand."

The man seemed to give a shake of his head with the mention of the woman. "Yes well, there are few instances where Lady Tanith does prove to be on your side; where she proves to be your ally and not an enemy- which she is often times portrayed."

Well, he couldn't necessarily argue that point. "... I see Commander Sigrun has kept you busy these days."

"More like months but business is business." Haar replied as he made his way over to the snoozing Wyvern. Hands worked to untie the next box for transport. "She's very particular about what she wants and there have been countless times where I've had to fly something back across Tellius just to return it. But, she makes grace of it and I don't really mind the flier points."

He watched as the man eventually managed to tame the knot and pulled the next package loose before he walked over to Wyvern. "Do you need any help with those? I might as well make myself useful somehow, right?"

"You know, normally I'd say I've got things handled, but if Lady Tanith keeps breathing down my neck about timing and schedules, I might just leave and never show up again; of course, she'll probably hunt me down just for the thrill."

"She looks like the type of woman to do so."

* * *

><p>"Well, I can see that you two are getting reacquainted with one another- fairly quick, might I add."<p>

She tried not to take too much from the woman's tone and only smiled lightly in return. "Well, as it turns out, there wasn't all that much for us to catch up on; I suppose we're just simple, boring people at most. Unlike, you and Sir Haar."

"Don't change the subject here." Tanith started as she brought her arms to cross over her chest. "I mean, he's been here for only a few hours at most and you've already introduced him to the midwives, taken him around the palace and I'm sure you're just about to introduce him to the Apostle herself as well. He's been gone for seven months without so much as a word and-"

"Tanith, please... we've had this discussion plenty of times before." Sigrun interrupted. "I know it's different this time because he's actually here and it's not just speculation on our parts, but we've worn the topic down far too many times. I know you find it irritating and despicable, but just let me have my time, alright? That's all I ask. We both share faults and a lack of character but we're working through it. We're not aiming for perfection here... I just want a working sense of happiness."

She would be the first to admit, she was giving the Commander a hard time about it- but it was all for a good reason. Who did he think was standing in his place for those seven months? She had served next to the Commander through battles and wars; she had witnessed the woman get knocked clean off her Pegasus, only to get back into the saddle with three broken fingers, a dislocated shoulder and kneecap; she had seen blood run down her silver tunic and clot the soft material of her stockings until they were peeling away underneath the weight... and yet, this had been the hardest task to see her through. There was so much hope and inspiration in her eyes when she spoke about the newcomer and how fun it would be to raise another child much like how they raised Apostle Sanaki from her baby blankets to the throne. She didn't want to see all those dreams collapse and break underneath her hopeful steps. It wasn't like she personally thought the would-be Leader would step forward to claim responsibility and fill in the empty space; it wasn't like she was expecting him to be here this morning looking like a nervous wreck... her timing had only been perfect at best for the situation.

An irritated sigh escaped her before she moved to settle her hands on the width of her hips instead; bringing her eyes to some point on the other side of the room. The woman's area had always been clean cut and neatly organized while the nursery was looking a little... well it needed half a day's help to fix. She wasn't exactly feminine at best when it came to decorating things- hell, she couldn't even cook without putting a General in intensive care; the Commander had taken care of what she could before her condition forced her to give up on the moving and arrangement, pushing those tasks onto herself... even as Second-in-Command, she pushed the organization back to a much later date.

"I don't mean to pull the wrong string here, but he is a Branded."

"And Sir Haar is a Wyvern Rider, yet you keep with him on some nights." Sigrun returned; watching as her remark only seemed to cause the other woman to become flustered.

"That's different-"

"Every Apostle that has lead Begnion and allowed for it to become the country that it is today was Branded."

Tanith stiffened slightly at the added reminder before she slowly let herself fall back at ease. "That's different, every Apostle of Begnion has had a great Commander to keep them protected, to keep them safe. You are that Commander, Sigrun..."

"Damn right I am." she chuckled lightly. "I've made it my life to protect and serve this country; I have lead it in and out of wars with little regards to my own life... because as long as Begnion survived, then I had done my job correctly. The Holy Guards are well known for being the best of the best and I am honored to be at the lead, to be the Commander who takes them out into battle. And because of that, because of my honor and dedication to this country, I like to think I earned that respect from every person who crosses my path. I am the Commander of the strongest army all across Tellius, I have survived the Mad King's War and the War against the Goddess, Ashera, herself. So what if I made the personal choice to become involved with a Branded? What is someone going to do? What could any person possibly do to me?" She moved to set her hands on the curved edges of the chair arms; using it as leverage to push herself to her feet. "Besides... I have my Second-in-Commander, Tanith, looking after me. What more do I need?"


	9. Chapter 9

_"Sir Stefan?" _

_The light call of another voice saying his name caused for him to turn away from the sharp blade in hand; he had been in the midst of reconditioning the sword after their last battle proved just how dull it had become. The sight of the barely green-haired woman standing just at the opening of the tent behind him seemed startling at most as he quickly pushed himself to his feet. "Commander Sigrun..."_

_"I just thought you'd might like some company."_

_"Its quite alright, I'm used to the company of solitude."_

_A light chuckle escaped from her pale lips as she took a step or two inside the tent. "Please, Sir Stefan, I cannot allow for the man who assisted the battlefield today to spend his time alone. You helped to clear the airways for my Pegasus Knights this morning, you helped to keep us safe and assured a great victory on our behalf."_

_He gave a nervous laugh in response and lightly rubbed at the back of his head, almost uncertain of how to act in the presence of the female Commander. "I believe that's a bit of a stretch, Commander; both Zihark and myself helped to discharge the Archers who were on the field today but that was all."_

_"Sir Stefan, you should really give yourself more credit." _

**X**

_He stood there and continued to stare at her as though she had suddenly sprouted two heads and was speaking like the Goddess. Her previous words still echoed somewhere in his mind as he tried to grasp what she was exactly saying. "I... what?" _

_She had expected hesitation and denial for it, but she supposed she should've braced and rehearsed for confusion just the same. His eyes were caught the same way his lips were as they tried to form words and conceive an appropriate expression and/or response. "With wishes to avoid a state of conflict we just excused ourselves from, Begnion wishes to extend an arm of alliance to your Nation."_

_"Nation? What Nation are you speaking of exactly?" he questioned._

_It had seemed... obvious that he would've known what she was talking about, but now that he questioned her about it, she found herself unable to answer for a few seconds. "I apologize for possible eavesdropping on your earlier conversation, but I thought you mentioned something about your people in the Grann Desert-"_

_"It's a village at best." he interrupted. "It's not necessarily a Nation by any means..."_

_"Well then, I ask that you forgive me for my incorrect words, but my offer still stands." _

_A brief frown marred his lips as he watched the way she straightened herself up as though to make up for her previous mistake. "Is this an extension of alliance from Begnion or from you?" _

_"Details, details, Sir Stefan." _

**X**

_The touch of her fingertips against his skin slowly brought him outside of his tangled mess of thoughts and away from the sickening twist of his stomach. Just the thought alone of meeting with these other leaders made him want to duck back outside and find a bush to throw up in; how was he supposed to relate to these other people? Yes, for such leaders as Prince Skrimir and Sir Ike, they had fought side by side one another and he had even taught Ike how to master the art of the blade... but still, this was for politics and little ease. Sure, he could hold his own on the battlefield and in the midst of bloodshed and war but this was another deal. Out there, no one cared about having a mark or who was mixed in your bloodline, as long as you could serve and protect, you were worth the time; inside, it just felt like everyone was watching and judging him. He had faced far too many obstacles of discrimination and hate; he had bones broken and blood spilled far too many times to be comfortable with. _

_And yet, the soft contact of her arm as it lightly linked in place over his own was enough to cleanse his mind of the matter. At least, momentarily anyways. _

_"Don't worry, they're not as tough as they try to look." she assured as she escorted him down the opening corridor that would soon open up into the meeting room where the other Royalty were waiting- with the exception of Queen Nailah, who had to cancel last minute due to some unforeseen consequences. "Most of these meetings go by without much going on, and then they mostly complain about the lack of useful matters to discuss." _

_"Should I have brought something to the table to discuss?" _

_"No, worry not for it, it will move along at its own place." she spoke; feeling him tense slightly as they moved closer to the partly cracked conference hall. "I will stay in attendance if you wish... I made sure to leave an empty space by your seat." _

_"Thank you Commander, I... I really appreciate that." _

**X**

_"Does it snow like this often in Begnion?"_

_She walked over to the partly covered window and stood at his side; her eyes peering out into the solid white landscape around them; this was normally common for Begnion around this time of year and it normally wouldn't be a problem... with the exception that the heavy snowfall seemed to have come from nowhere. It was too dangerous keep her Pegasus out in it, so they were forced to land and seek out shelter; they were still a ways from the castle but they had at least made it within the Begnion borders. They had a tendency to keep back the guards once Winter hit, which left quite a bit of abandoned guard post just around the main city- one of which they were forced to seek shelter in. She was glad for it though, it gave her a small barn to keep her Pegasus warmly stationed; something a mere cave would not have been able to provide._

_"Sometimes yes, sometimes no. This is the first time this year we've had snowfall like this."_

_He nodded briefly and moved to push himself from the chilling breeze that seemed to find its way through the open cracks of the glass and it's wooden frame. It was certainly turning out to be an exciting day, with the late pick up and a last minute meeting with Queen Nailah and then... this. Moving to the further end of the room, he stretched and took a seat in one of the rigidity chairs that was offered. "Well... I hope the Apostle won't mind our late attendance then." _

_"Just look outside, I think that's enough reason on our part." Sigrun assured as she continued to watch layers and layers of tiny snowflakes completely lay blankets over the outside land. Sighing lightly, she moved over to where he was seated- where he was still trying to brush the flakes from his hair. "I apologize for the inconvenience." _

_"It's not like you can control the weather." he chuckled. "We might as well get settled in a bit, it doesn't seem like it's going to be stopping any time soon." _

_She frowned briefly before she had to nod in agreement. "With storms like these, they could go on for hours, sometimes days... it's ridiculous how dangerous Nature can work against you." she noted as she eased herself into the chair across from him._

_"Days?" he repeated as though hoping he had misheard her. _

_"It's true." she nodded in response; catching the slight down turn of his expression. "That leaves us with a lot of time on our hands... so why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself."_

_He glanced up at her request and had to chuckle briefly at it; moving one hand to ruffle through his lengthy strands. "I uh... well, it would make for an interesting time-waster, I'll tell you that."_

* * *

><p>The night brought on the soft weight of her head against his shoulder as her routines for the day succeeded in wearing her down. She hadn't bothered to change out of her gown and merely laid out across her bed with it still on; he had a feeling that she had done that plenty of nights before. Her hands were still balanced on her rounded stomach and were neatly knitted together to keep from falling off; her long strands had been tugged loose beforehand and were sprawled out all around her like some kind of angelic halo, a messy one at that.<p>

Fingertips moved to brush gently through the locks that had fallen into her face and tucked them behind one ear; feeling the smooth touch of her skin underneath him. A quiet sigh seemed to drift from her lips even though she remained asleep, although he swore he might've caught the lightest smile catching on. Here laid Commander Sigrun of the Holy Guards, showing the only sign of exhaustion any person walking on Tellius had ever seen.

Chuckling quietly to himself, he moved one more strand before he watched as her fingers fell loose before one hand slowly rolled off to land on the bedspread beneath them. He hesitated briefly before he gently retrieved her hand and placed it back in its previous position; feeling the way her fingers seemed to catch onto his own before she moved her other hand on top of his. It was hard to believe she was just sleeping at this point but... he didn't have the mind to try and prove otherwise.

The soft movement that bumped underneath his touch provided another method of distraction.


	10. Chapter 10

_Fingertips skimmed the soft curves of flesh that pulled over well-rounded muscles, detailing the numerous hours, days and months that were all needed to get this far. The soft flush of her skin spread from her gentle cheeks all the way to her slender thighs; the cautious strokes that dominated every rounded finger felt the subtle heat that seemed to ignited itself underneath her. He could feel the soft contact of her hands as they pressed against his jaw and slowly moved down along the shaped bone. Her subtle, sweet fingertips skimmed the curve of his lower lip and left those soft, fleeting expressions that still dressed his skin; the light smile that played her expression seemed to tease a sense of amusement from him. _

_Her polished and perfected pieces of armor that shined like Begnion's brightest gem had been laid aside; tucked away as easily as it had been to slip into in the first place. The lightly-colored tunic that served as her uniform and yet seemed to offer no protection against acts of raging soldiers or weather had been unrolled from her body and neatly folded on the table nearby. Darker stockings that once covered her beautifully shaped legs and only seemed to add greater, provocative appeal to her uniform, were bundled together and played on the lasting edge of the bed beneath them. Thin, yet warming covers were messed with wrinkles from their conjoined entanglement; the off-colored beige seemed worn down with time but almost appeared to compliment the light tan that ran along her skin. _

_The gracious, honest smile that curved along her pale lips served as the best and only thing that dressed her; opening attention to the soft hues of her eyes and the small knot of scar tissue at the corner of her left eye that formed a small dimple. If there was any moment to commit purely to memory, it was this and it was her._

_Even if this was the worst choice that either of them could have made... it was still the best. _

_That aching rush of emotion that burned fingertips against flesh brought on the gasping ease of breath as it moved from lungs to lips; eyes watched every little movement of skin and trailed it by mimicking the same expression. The clashing and questioning of the mind only seemed to gather more and more fuel for the body as it moved to the opposite of what was being mentally screamed. _

_Why? _

_What suddenly pushed them to take this step? How were they going to recover afterwards? Were things still going to be the same? _

_She was a Commander; he was nothing. _

_And yet, when things were turned down to just skin and skin; touch to touch; nothing else mattered. There was no outside world, there were no other people walking this land, there was nothing else but them. And for now, that was all it took to keep them convinced. _

* * *

><p>"Are you alright?"<p>

He glanced up at the question and watched as the Wyvern Rider from before casually made his way down the corridor from his left; one hand seemed busy ruffling up his dark-brown hair as the early morning did not appear to be fairing well with him. A brief shrug moved from his shoulders as he rubbed at the creases on his forehead. "Yeah, well I mean, it's not like I'm doing any of the work, right?"

"True." Haar remarked with a light tick at the tip of his tongue as he approached the other figure; the rather... interestingly dressed man seemed both anxious and nervous enough to make himself physically sick. That wasn't to say that he could really blame him though, it was probably nerve-wrecking to be sitting out here in the hallway instead of being in the other room with her. But Lady Tanith had made it known several times that it wasn't a man's place to be present during such a time; not to mention, it was best to have as few people present as possible. And he wasn't going to go against what Lady Tanith had to say, not because of her possible chance of retaliation and/or violence, but more so out of respect for Lady Sigrun. "You can always try to focus on just the positive aspect of it... whatever that might be."

It didn't really help but he appreciated the motion.

Positive aspect... well that would only show when this whole morning came to an end- if they were lucky.

"It's just... I guess I'm still stuck in the mindset of what happens after this? We've just recovered but we haven't actually discussed anything from before... it doesn't really feel like I should be a part of this right now." Stefan remarked, unsure of why he was really even speaking with the man right now. He used to be so secretive and isolated to himself- for good reasons- and yet now... this was a touchy and sensitive subject and yet he was saying his doubts out loud.

The Wyvern Rider gave a light shrug and leaned in against the wall space next to him; crossing his arms over his chest. "It's all complicated and in the end, you just have to pull your head out of your ass and be happy with it. Not all too many people get the chance to experience something like this."

The remark took a moment before it seemed to sink in, prompting a slight frown on his lips as he looked over to the man. "Wait, hang on, pull my head out of where?" Stefan questioned; catching the slightest shift of his expression before it went back to its usual placement.

"Sorry about that, I'm so used to dealing with Lady Tanith, I forget that that phrase isn't always the best option to say out loud." he started. "What I meant to say was... uh... well, be happy and try not to show doubt when she comes back out. Believe me, if Commander Sigrun didn't want you here right now, at this instance, you wouldn't even be inside of Begnion's borders; in fact, you might even be dead if Lady Tanith had caught wind of it. The point of the matter is, you're here for a reason and Commander Sigrun wants you at her side. At this point, there's no need to feel selfish over the matter, just go with it."

He hated to admit it but the man actually seemed to have a point there. She wouldn't just... be so welcoming if she didn't want to see him again; she wouldn't have been so persistent with her letters and she wouldn't have gone so far as to contact Queen Nailah either. Maybe he was just making this whole situation worse for himself after all, maybe he should've just listened to her from the start. "I think you might have a point there... thank you."

"To be honest, I wasn't really listening to what I was saying... I think might've dozed off somewhere in between it." he shrugged. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I've got some morning runs I have to make and I've already pushed the schedule off... well basically, all morning. Unfortunately I have to be back to take care of something for Lady Tanith, so I'll check in on this whole situation when I return."

He nodded and watched as the Rider continued on down the lingering corridor, leaving him to himself and his thoughts once more. In all honesty, the Begnion castle was probably the largest structure in all of Tellius but at this given moment, it felt nearly five times its original size. It was absolutely nerve-wrecking at this moment and he was terrible at the waiting games... all he wanted was to know things now. What if something went wrong? What if something was wrong with the baby or something happened to her? What if she died? Then the Apostle would be without her Holy Commander and... Begnion would be without a symbol... and he... He couldn't even finish that train of thought. He was getting ridiculously worked up over the matter but he couldn't help himself. There was just a lot to take into account here.

What if it was born with a Brand like his? No, no that was impossible... that kind of fate would be carried down for a much later generation to be damned with...

"Sir Stefan."

Who else wanted to interrupt his morning- "Ah uh... Apostle Sanaki."

In the passing three years since the Goddess War, the younger Apostle had grown into a beautiful symbol for Begnion; she was still fairly on the short side, maybe five feet at most but her draping robes of royal red and black made her appear taller. She had grown her ebony locks out to be longer and now had them pulled back behind her shoulders, revealing her still child-like face and slimmer eyes. Her chin was held up and her hands were locked tightly in front of her to assume the elegant gait that all Royalty members practiced. Attitude-wise, she had matured... quite a bit but still harbored that childlike anger that came up again and again. He hadn't met with her in almost half a year now, he was certain there were more changes to take note of somewhere.

"I wasn't expecting to see you during my visit." he started.

There was a brief wrinkle that ran along the bridge of her nose, as though to silently say that his remark wasn't worth wasting breath on. "This is the royal castle of Begnion, is it not? Do you expect my presence to not be here?" she questioned, although she gave him little much of a chance to respond. "The Commander of my Holy Guards is giving birth right now and her suitable... whatever position you hold is here at the right given time... I think it would only be an insult if my presence wasn't noted."

She did have a point, he supposed his comment from before was rather... ridiculous to say out loud. "You prove your point, Apostle, I apologize."

"There's no apologize needed, but if you wish to make up for your misfortune of words you can answer something for me."

Oh Goddess.

"Do continue." he nodded.

"To be polite as best I can, I must insist that Commander Sigrun and your shared child remain here where it's safe and... where Begnion can serve as his homeland. You would be welcome to a place of lodging here to keep a close connection with both of them. I suppose my last-minute question would be what are your plans exactly on making this work?"

Before he could even admit that he hadn't thought of such concept and that finding an answer to such would only further his worsening anxiety, another joining figure moved to interrupt them.

"Sir Stefan."

His eyes moved to yet another voice but the sight of the dark-haired Second-in-Command walking her way towards him proved to startle a tremor in his chest; the tight bundle of blue tucked into her arms only furthered worsening the tremor. She walked with a steady gait, her eyes half set on him and half set on the blanket in arm; she was careful to take her time and he was thankful that she did so, but it was also nerve-wrecking to watch and wait at the same time. The woman came to a brief pause just a foot or so in front of him and made solid contact with those harsh, chocolate eyes of hers; for once, there didn't seem to be an ounce of scorn or dislike in them... they almost appeared human in fact. Carefully, she moved to shift the blanket from her arms before she cradled it over to him; allowing for him to feel the light sense of weight tucked and netted inside.

"His name is Seneca."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: First off, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed and at least gave this couple a chance- that's really all I ask for. I usually give my own kind of critique for my stories and this one was just one where after I finish it, I find about a dozen other ways I could've gone with; some better, some worse. I found out a lot of things I could've mentioned before but missed the opportunity for such. Overall, it lasted longer than I originally intended because it only started out as a brief idea- some drabble I put down one day. But I can say honestly that I don't regret how it's gone along and how it turned out. Overall, I'm fairly pleased with it, even with it's flaws. **

"Are you certain she won't mind our visit?"

"Unexpected or not, she'll find some fault in it but... like many things, there are plausible reasons for everything. She will simply have to set it aside and enjoy what there is at the given moment."

He supposed his answer made him sound more confident than he really felt, although not to say that he was nervous about their upcoming visit. It seemed more like his nerves were there simply because... well, it was hard to describe, it must've been some kind of residue of an animalistic instinct. Or maybe just a sense of over-protectiveness that forced his eyes to pick up on every little movement that surrounded them. Keeping her hand tightly held in his own, he guided her carefully through the busy loose street that twisted and circled through the desert Kingdom; it had been expanding greatly within the last few years, it was impressive to see how much work and determination the Wolves put into their country. Then again, they had assisted his people with putting up a few buildings just the same... there was always something to learn from these thick-tailed Laguz.

He glanced back as she gave an extra tug on his arm and wished to move at a more leisurely pace, a request he was quick to accept. The desert sun seemed to admire the way the silk material of her new gown fell along the gracious shape of her body; the white fabric seemed to repel most of the sun light, while the strips and decorations of gold brought in a sense of shine to the outfit. The Begnion Commander teased about how she liked the way the loose material helped to hide her post-carrying form, covering the unwanted curves and dips. He figured by the way she was grinning when she wore it the first time that Queen Nailah had certainly outdone herself with picking out an appropriate gift.

She gently slipped her arm through his own and carefully linked them together; holding her arm at an angle so not to disturb the sleeping cargo she had gently placed in a sling that bounced lightly against her chest. The matching gold material seemed to fit right in with the outfit as it wrapped around part of her midsection before it was tied over one shoulder. She kept her other hand providing a bare sense of support just underneath the sling, keeping it from moving about too heavily. He offered a warming smile that seemed to help to cure her mild uneasiness as they eventually approached the central building of the city; there were a few Wolf Laguzs standing post just outside although neither of them seemed to care much for their approach. They bore the same apparel as every other body did, choosing to bare a rather great amount of skin even under the unforgiving heat; the faint traces of their Laguz markings were fully revealed as black ink appeared to swirl and twist across bronze skin. It was only when one black-haired Wolf tucked his ears forward at them did he eventually move in to speak.

"Is Queen Nailah busy at the moment?" Stefan questioned.

The guard's ears flicked back slightly as though in trying to decipher the question. He lifted his head up and pulled his ears back into a relaxed state. "Queen Nailah is resting out back, I will see if she will permit guests to approach her." Stepping to the side for a moment, he pushed aside the thick curtains that covered the rounded doorway leading inside and ushered them to follow after him. "It has been many of many moons since we last encountered your presence here, Sir Stefan; do you mind answering how your people are doing these days?"

"They're doing just fine, thank you." he nodded. "I would also like to pass on my personal thanks for looking after them during my absence."

"It was nothing, after all we share the same sun and moon." the guard responded with a brief chuckle as he lead them through the winding passage that cut through a majority of the building; showcasing exquisite decors of art and symbolic masterpieces that were few and far between. He paused for a moment when they approached the open doorway at the end of their walk before he moved to step back out into the sun. "Queen Nailah, you have guests who wish to speak with you. Shall I permit them to step forth?"

"I see... send them in."

It felt like a wider spread of relief pressed the weight off his shoulders, although he wasn't entirely sure why the Wolf Queen wouldn't permit them to meet with her; then again, she wasn't one for conversation and that is what guests typically brought."She must be feeling gracious today." he whispered as he leaned in towards the woman at his side. "Or Prince Rafiel is with her."

"Or she doesn't know that you're the one visiting." Sigrun added quietly as a tease.

Shaking his head at her remark, he nodded briefly to the guard who had stepped aside once more to allow them to pass; he gently lead her out onto the courtyard that seemed to extend out into the desert itself. The heavy stones that created the footing underneath were smoothed out like tiles and held steadily together even with the sand beneath them. A small wall was put up around the perimeter but it barely reached his waist, so he didn't really see a big need for it- but he wasn't going to criticize their architect. There were a few tables that remained scattered downward, with a few loose chairs sitting around and/or close to their matching counterparts. It wasn't near as exotic or extravagant as the ones in Begnion but the Wolf Queen was not all too hard to please or all too picky when it came down to design; her Kingdom was seemingly build on simplicity rather than showcasing wealth.

The White Wolf Queen herself was resting on a small, elongated piece of furniture; a beige-colored fabric seemed to match evenly well with the darkness of the wooden legs that extended outwards. It was long enough for her entire body to rest on while the ends were curved upward just enough to support her head; her massive tail was draped over one side and laid sprawled out across the stones below. Her white-winged Heron sat close by and in a more modest pose with his wings lightly tucked up against his back. It would have appeared that they two had previously been engaged in a small talk of conversation themselves, although a few soft note of words seemed more appropriate as though he had been singing quietly for her instead.

"Queen Nailah, there is someone here I wish for you to meet."

The woman glanced up briefly from where her eye had been resting and made immediate contact with his own- as though she had been expecting him for days now; her single eye moved carefully from him to the Commander at his side before it rested back to him. A small change of her features was barely noted but... it appeared to resemble something like approval or maybe even a brief twitch of the lips as though to instigate a chance of a smile. "I am very aware of who Commander Sigrun is, it would only be a waste of time to learn of her again. Perhaps you forgot about how I told you of the letters between her and I."

A light chuckle escaped him as he noted her usual dislike for such long talks, which was what made her seem difficult and stubborn at times. "Actually... I- we wanted to introduce you to someone else."

Her expression stayed the same but her ears flickered back for a moment as though in a sense of curiosity, nearly disappearing beneath her silver, twisted locks. "Is that so? Well, don't keep me waiting."

"I do hope you don't mind our sudden drop-in... we had been hoping to make better time but my Pegasus is not accustomed to this harsh weather." Sigrun started as she moved to untie the sling from the her shoulder; she kept one arm cradling underneath the sling before she slowly let the soft fabric fall downward- revealing the small infant who had once been wrapped up tightly inside. Straying pieces of green hair barely covered the child's head as tiny hands moved to brush across his circular face; fingers grasped outward for a moment at the sense of movement as they searched for something to grab on. Rounded cheeks seemed to bear no resemblance to either of his parents but held the mystery of looks for later years. She smiled lightly as the infant cooed and continued to reach towards her, eventually finding one of her fingers to wrap his tiny hands around. "This is little Seneca."

Through the many years he had come to speak with the woman and gain her sense of friendship, he had rarely seen her expressions change all too much... but this marked one of those few times. Callous hands pushed her up from her resting position before more willed movement brought her to her feet just the same. Ears ticked back slightly as she moved towards them before they lightly brushed forward at the sound of the child. Fingers moved to push aside the loose pieces of the sling's fabric before they touched lightly across the infant's cheek. It seemed to take a longer grasp of time before the corners of her lips hinted at a sincere smile. "So this is the little mess of trouble I've gotten involved with."

"You could say something like that." he replied; watching as the Begnion Commander gently offered for the Queen to hold the child- a request that seemed to be hesitated at first before taken upon. "I don't know of any other child that's gotten as many blessings as he has. There were some from the Apostle and from the other countries as well... but I wanted to pay tribute to you for all the help that you've given not just my people, but to us as well."

Cradling the child softly, she watched as he seemed to settle down and curled his fingers together into the protective sling around him. She stepped back slightly before she slowly turned away and moved towards her partner just a few feet behind her. "You make a gracious tribute... Sir Stefan, Lady Sigrun... but I believe there is more than just one blessing to be made here. Wouldn't you say so, Rafiel?"

The Heron slowly got to his feet just as she stopped in front of him; holding her arms out lightly to offer a better view. "Hmm, you are never wrong, My Queen; I believe you are right to say that there are many blessings to be made and passed on. If you offer the blessing of Hatari, then I will give the blessing of Serenes."

It was almost an odd sight to see.

And an unbelievable one at that.

What started out in the midst of untroubled recklessness and spiraled into an unknown territory of fear and anxiety... it now ended with this. A pass of blessings for a warm future, happy memories and the ability to love what there was around; to live without fear and not live within it.


End file.
